16 | Thursday, October 29, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE Movie industry moving forward
China’s film and cinema sectors are continuing to thrive despite COVID19’s impact, Xu Fan reports.
rom a sustained expansion But for most industry insiders, between 2016 and 2019 to the top obstacle for international the promising recovery in cooperation remains a decadeslong the wake of COVID19 this struggle over what kind of stories Fyear, the Chinese film industry has can engage audiences from different demonstrated a strong vitality, with cultural backgrounds. the country recently becoming the Alongside Kung Fu Panda 3 as the world’s largest movie market in two most commercially successful terms of boxoffice sales. international coproductions in the In spite of an abrupt halt caused last five years, The Meg — a scifi by the epidemic, since Chinese cine horror flick starring Jason Statham mas reopened on July 20, this year’s and Li Bingbing — grossed $530 movieticket revenue has reached million globally, with 1.05 billion 14.28 billion yuan ($2.13billion) as yuan generated on the Chinese of Oct 28, exceeding that of North mainland. America and securing China’s sta Director Lu Chuan, who worked tus as the world’s largest movie for Disneynature to direct the 2016 market since midOctober, accord coproduction Born in China, says ing to movieinformation tracker Hollywood’s global success is built Beacon. on its use of talent and resources all Most industry insiders contacted over the world. by China Daily say the Chinese film “If China wants to realize the glo industry is recovering better and balization of its domestically pro faster than they had estimated, duced films, we need to cooperate thanks to the country’s efficient con more with international talent. Fes trol of COVID19. tivals can be a good way to increase Jia Zhangke, one of China’s most such exchanges and create opportu internationally acclaimed directors, nities,” he adds. says: “Over the last five years, Chi na’s annual film production has Cinema construction spree gradually increased, and the yearly The country had installed 41,179 boxoffice take has seen considera screens by the end of 2016, exceed ble growth from 2016 to 2019. As a ing the United States as the highest sizable market, China is now very number globally. attractive to filmmakers and distrib The China Film Administration utors across the world.” released a guideline in 2018, encour Statistics from the China Film aging enterprises to accelerate cine Administration, the country’s top ma construction in urban areas, as sector regulator, show that China well as financially encouraging the grossed 64.3 billion yuan in 2019, up aters to update facilities with state 40 percent compared with 45.7 bil oftheart technologies, ranging lion yuan in 2016. from installing giant screens to According to the administration, using laser projectors. China produced 772 featurelength Before Chinese theaters were dramas in 2016, with the total out closed due to the COVID19 out put increasing to 798 features in break on Jan 24 and reopened on 2017 and 902 in 2018. July 20, nearly 70,000 screens had Last year, the number fell slightly been installed in more than 10,000 to 850. Coupled with other genres, cinemas, with most capable of including science education and screening 3D formats. documentaries, China’s annual Entertainmenttechnology inno production reached 1,037 films in vator IMAX has seen its giant 2019. If China wants to screen network expand from 381 in “When I started to work as a film realize the 2016 to about 670 screens at present maker in the late 1990s, China pro on the Chinese mainland. duced only around 100 feature films globalization of its Most analysts believe China’s a year,” Jia says. domestically annual theater admissions, which “The rapid growth provides a reached 1.7 billion in 2019, indicate wide selection for local movie produced films, we the country has huge potential to enthusiasts and lays the foundation need to cooperate draw more moviegoers if more cine for more international exchanges.” mas can be constructed in central Domestic films’ market share and more with and western China. boxoffice takings have also grown international talent.” Insiders have noticed an interest rapidly. ing trend among the cinema con In 2016, domestic films earned a Lu Chuan, filmmaker struction spree. total of 26.7 billion yuan, accounting A single phenomenal hit can stim for 58.3 percent of overall boxoffice Examples include Dying to Sur ulate theaters to upgrade to the lat revenues. The two figures respec vive, a 2018 runaway hit examining est cinematic technology, with tively rose to 37.9 billion and 62.2 patients’ struggles with high medi James Cameron’s scifi epic Avatar percent in 2019, indicating domestic cine costs, and the 2019 comingof being the most representative exam films are becoming more popular age blockbuster Better Days, a ple. With its groundbreaking 3D among local theatergoers. thoughtprovoking touch on cam and motioncapture technology, the Each of the highestgrossing pus bullying. film — released in China in January blockbusters from 2016 to this year More successful examples 2010 — enticed people to stand in has been a homegrown work, include Wolf Warrior II, China’s all long lines to buy the limited including Stephen Chow’s The Mer time highestgrossing film, which 3Dscreen tickets. This inspired the maid, Wu Jing’s Wolf Warrior II, sparked patriotic fever, and Ne Zha, number of China’s 3D screens to rise Dante Lam’s Operation Red Sea, the second highestgrosser that eightfold in a few months, China Jiao Zi’s Ne Zha and Guan Hu’s The retells a household myth from a Business News reports. Eight Hundred. modern parenting perspective. In the last five years, Oscarwin Despite the effects of the COVID While superheroes and visual ning director Ang Lee’s films Billy 19 outbreak, Chinese films had effectsstudded blockbusters from Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016) grossed 11 billion yuan as of Oct 15, Hollywood continue to be the most and Gemini Man (2019) — both shot accounting for nearly 85 percent of appealing imported content, exem in 3D 4K at the extremely high total sales, which were boosted by plified by the overwhelming popu frame rate of 120 frames per second the war epic The Eight Hundred and larity of Avengers 3 and 4, non (the norm is 24) — have pushed National Day blockbusters My Peo Western imports have also seen domestic cinemas to engage even ple, My Homeland and Jiang Ziya: growth in local markets, with the more with technology exploration. Legend of Deification. Indian hit Dangal and Lebanese The films opened the market for Director Lu Chuan, known for film Capernaum as two of the most CINITY, a giantscreen system City of Life and Death, says: “Statis successful examples. developed by Huaxia Film Distribu tics can tell us everything. In the ear tion, one of the country’s largest ly 2000s, China’s annual boxoffice International cooperation film companies. take accounted for a small propor In the era of the global village, CINITY, which makes scenes tion of the global total. But since international exchanges and coop Each of the highestgrossing blockbusters from 2016 to this year has been a homegrown work, including much clearer and brighter, has so far 2016, it has caught up (with the eration have become easier and (clockwise from top) Wu Jing’s Wolf Warrior II (2017), Stephen Chow’s The Mermaid (2016), Guan Hu’s screened more than 30 films and world’s top players).” more frequent. Ranging from The Eight Hundred (2020), Jiao Zi’s Ne Zha (2019) and Dante Lam’s Operation Red Sea (2018). has been installed in around 40 Chi He predicts Chinese filmmakers shooting coproductions to recruit PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY nese theaters. In the next five years, will create more realistic stories as a ing foreign talent and exploring the system is planned to be installed result of the nation’s battle against overseas markets more deeply, the in 800 cinemas at home and 300 COVID19. Chinese film industry has flexed its inviting foreign filmmakers to take town franchise with the three believes the supply of new films glo abroad. “With the collective memory of muscles to seek a bigger presence part in domestic projects, especially installments shot in Bangkok, New bally will face a shortage due to Hol Fu Ruoqing, vicechairman of the nation’s effort to rescue life and within the world’s cinematic land in the areas of music, special effects York and Tokyo. lywood’s sluggish recovery. China Film Co Ltd and chairman of reduce death, Chinese audiences scape. and direction. But with the world still battling Yu suggests that Chinese compa Huaxia Film Distribution, says he will probably want more positive The latest available figures show Some such projects have garnered the pandemic, Liu says the company nies should expand their distribu believes, “A good film is naturally stories,” Lu says. China has signed film coproduc attention from such world filmmak has received applications for 41 tion networks overseas, and he born for a big screen.” Rao Shuguang, president of the tion agreements with 22 countries, ers as Danish twotime Palme d’Or coproductions but none of them hopes domestic filmmakers can pro He adds that streaming can’t China Film Critics Association, says including the United States, winner Bille August, who directed have yet started shooting. duce more influential movies, trans replace the theatergoing experience. Chinese cinema has diversified gen France, Russia, New Zealand, the World War II film, The Chinese Yu Dong, founder and chairman forming the crisis into an With the impact of COVID19 esti res, visual effects and storytelling Japan and India. Nearly 250 copro Widow, starring Liu Yifei in 2017, and of Beijingbased studio Bona Film opportunity and helping more Chi mated to last for some time, some that have raised it to a new bar, ductions were made between 2000 British director Simon West — best Group, says the sudden outbreak of nese stories reach viewers in Europe veterans believe the Chinese film thanks to the growing sophistica and 2019, 49 of which surpassed known in China for his Lara Croft: COVID19 had a huge impact on the and the United States. industry will squeeze out specula tion of viewers. the 100 million boxoffice mark, Tomb Raider — who helmed the dis Chinese film industry. He estimates Recalling that he once saw Chinese tors, reduce blind investment and A stellar cast and heavy special according to China Film CoPro aster film, Skyfire, in 2019. around 10,000 small and medium hits — such as the animated block shift to quality creations, as well as effects no longer secure films’ com duction Corp. Backed by bigger budgets or sized Chinese film companies have buster Ne Zha — being streamed on a produce more films with realistic mercial success. Instead, a heartfelt China Film’s general manager Liu enticed by exotic flavors, more Chi closed. piracy site in London, Yu calls for themes. story that resonates with the audi Chun says it has become common in nese directors have been traveling But he also points to a “silver lin local decisionmakers to ally against ence is more likely to succeed in the recent years to see Chinese studios overseas to film major scenes, as in ing” for Chinese films attempting to piracy and attach more importance Contact the writer at local market, he adds. traveling abroad to shoot scenes or Chen Sicheng’s Detective China break through abroad, as he to copyright protection. [email protected]